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A father of two from Brooklyn, New York, has started his own Boy Scouts troop, to allow his son to be a member without having to accept the Boy Scouts of America’s anti-gay policy.

When he was younger, Todd Schweikert, was a Boy Scout himself, and wanted to allow his 7-year-old son the same experiences he had, but said he did not want to have to accept the policy which means the BSA doesn’t allow openly gay members, volunteers or staff.

Despite that some troops, or Scout Councils appearing to reject the official BSA policy on the issue, Mr Schweikert said he wouldn’t want his son to join a BSA troop because his money could be used to fund discriminatory policies.

He has named his new scouting troop the Fifth Brooklyn Scouts, and chose the Baden-Powell Service Association (BPSA) as the parent organisation for his troop.

The BPSA allows both boys and girls, and does not have as strong a leaning towards religious teaching as the BSA.

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